Public school districts across Florida are working to comply with several new state laws designed to stop the sexualization of young school children and the indoctrination of students with racial biases.
As a result of the legislation, all books and other materials in school libraries and classroom book collections must be cataloged and reviewed by state-certified media specialists.
Recommended reading lists, recently purchased books, and donated books should also be considered.
Specialists are expected to be working or retired media-certified librarians and school personnel who have undergone mandatory Florida Department of Education (FDOE) training.
According to an FDOE memo, by July 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, each school district superintendent must certify that all librarians and media specialists in their employ have completed the required online book review training.
The training prepares specialists to evaluate a school's literature and media materials to determine whether they can be made available to students without violating the following appropriateness standards established by the state.
No material, print or digital, including books on recommended reading lists, may contain pornography, according to the standards.
The curriculum uses this Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of pornography as a guide: "The depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to provoke sexual excitement."
According to the FDOE training guide, the material must not "predominantly attract a lewd, lewd or morbid interest" or be patently offensive to prevailing community standards of what is appropriate for minors.
All materials must be "appropriate for the grade level and age group" to which they are directed.
Florida law prohibits K-3 students from receiving any type of teaching or learning material that addresses sexual orientation or gender identity.
Only materials deemed "age appropriate" may be made available to upper grade students.
The statute also gives parents the right to appeal to a court an "age-appropriate" decision they disagree with.
It is a third degree felony in the state of Florida for any adult to provide pornography to a minor.
The FDOE has advised school personnel to "err on the side of caution" when determining whether a book is "developmentally appropriate" for student use.
Teachers found guilty of offering a banned book to students could face up to five years in prison and a $5.000 fine.
Tough opposition
"Given the rapid spread of book bans across the country, it seems inevitable that the resulting climate of caution and fear will result in teachers, principals, and librarians being reluctant to take risks that could affect their own employment, their budgets, their reputations. , and their personal safety,” according to a report issued by PEN America, a national civil liberties advocacy group.
PEN America is a New York-based nonprofit organization dedicated to "championing the freedom of writing [and] recognizing the power of words to transform the world."
Comparing the current atmosphere to the anti-Communist fervor that swept America in the 1950s known as "The Red Scare," PEN has dubbed the current situation "the ed scare."
At least 15 documented cases, including one in Florida, of criminal charges filed in the 2021–2022 school year for distribution of obscene or pornographic material in schools and public libraries were reported by PEN.
Local law enforcement eventually dropped those cases.
Social media erupted with backlash from Florida educators who oppose the new laws, which some describe as book banning and censorship.
Many of the state's educators see the requirement to evaluate materials as a waste of time and resources.
In a recent statement, Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, the state's largest labor union, referred to the atmosphere of confrontation.
“While Governor DeSantis seeks to punish and divide, we seek to unite.
“We respect the voices of parents, teachers, school boards, principals and students.
"Our schools don't need to go back to the 1950s. We need to move towards 2050," Spar said, arguing for further liberalization of sex norms.
Restoring the founding principles
State education asks experts to look for books that support good environmental management, humane treatment of animals, promote the economy and explain the dangers of substance abuse.
"Whenever appropriate for social studies, history, or politics courses, submitted materials should include the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution," the instructional guide states.
Florida law requires school librarians and media directors to compile a list of all books and digital materials available to their students. The online database of titles should be accessible to parents and community members.
According to the statute, any parent or community member can challenge any book, pamphlet, video, or recording, with the exception of the Teacher's Edition of a textbook.
Which books are banned?
The editors of PEN America's Index of School Book Bans found that 41 percent of banned titles contained LGBT themes and 40 percent had main characters who were of color. In recent years, an increasing number of books containing LGBT themes and more racially diverse characters have been published.
22 percent were banned for sexual content and 21 percent for focusing on racism.
The most frequently banned book was 'Gender Queer: A Memoir', by Maia Kobabe.
Helen Hopkins was the most frequently banned author.
The index analyzed 2.552 cases of book bans nationwide from July 2021 to June 2022, a number the researchers believe is underreported.
Since the initial study was completed, PEN analysts have found an additional 139 cases of book bans nationwide.
The bans included in the original study involved 1.648 titles written by 1.261 different authors.
Which States Ban the Books?
Book bans were reported in 138 school districts in 32 states.
Of the 32 states, Texas had the most cases, with 801 bans in 22 school districts. Florida posted 566 across 21 districts, Pennsylvania had 457 across 11 districts and Tennessee rounded out the top four with 349 bans across six school districts.
PEN America researchers estimate that 40 percent of reported public textbook bans were related to "either proposed or enacted legislation, or political pressure exerted by state officials or elected legislators to limit the teaching or presence of certain books or concepts .
PEN's report stated, “The resulting harm is far-reaching, affecting pedagogy and intellectual freedom and placing limits on the professional autonomy of school librarians and teachers.
Pressure from Parental Groups
In an indication of the recent rise and impact of the parental rights movement on school policies and legislation, the analysis identified more than 50 civic groups — the top eight of which had more than 300 local chapters in 38 states — pushing to ban what they consider unacceptable books.
One of the largest groups of its kind is Moms for Liberty, with more than 200 chapters nationwide.
Seventy-three percent of the organizations were formed in the past two years.
According to the PEN report, "These parent and community groups played a role in at least half of the book bans imposed across the country during the 2021–2022 school year."
The report added that such parent-led groups "cradle school board meetings, demanding new grading systems ... using inflammatory language about 'grooming and pornography,' and even filing criminal complaints against school officials, teachers and librarians."
The Florida Citizens Alliance's success in pushing a school system to implement warning labels on more than 100 books was cited by the index as an example of the effectiveness of such organizations.
PEN warns that some of these groups “support Christian nationalist
views". No more CRTs
The curriculum urges reviewers to avoid titles that contain "unwanted theories that may lead to indoctrination of students."
Materials that teach that a person, because of their race, color, sex, or national origin, is inherently racist or oppressive must be rejected.
The educational material chosen must be "accurate, objective, balanced, non-inflammatory and timely".
Titles selected must comply with the principles of individual liberty as outlined in Florida state law:
No person is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, either consciously or unconsciously, solely because of their race or gender.
No race is inherently superior to another race.
No person shall be discriminated against or treated adversely solely or in part on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, disability or sex.
Meritocracy or traits like the hard work ethic are not racist, but fundamental to the right to pursue happiness and be rewarded for industry.
A person, because of his race or sex, is not responsible for acts committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.
A person should not be instructed that he should feel guilt, anguish or other forms of psychological distress for acts in which he played no role, committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.
